Tamara Stefanovich

Winner takes it all

Aged 25, the Lithuanian-Russian piano virtuoso Lukas Geniušas is
already a veteran of major competitions. He explains to Ismene Brown
that in a media-driven world, such events provide an important
platform for career-building and public recognition

Order of merit

Pianists are often
called ‘internationally
renowned’ when in
fact they are nothing
of the kind. Jeremy
Nicholas pleads for
credit only where it
is really due

Touching complexity

The Serbian-born pianist Tamara Stefanovich has enjoyed a steady
rise to the top of her field, performing everything from Bach to
Boulez and beyond, often in surprising and thought-provoking
juxtapositions of core repertoire and contemporary works. She talks
to Owen Mortimer about her journey from the Balkans to her
current home in Berlin, and how the challenge of re-starting her life
several times over has enriched her understanding of music.

Mutual benefits

par Benjamin Ivry

Throughout history, composers have designated particular
performers as ‘foremost interpreters’ of their music. Benjamin
Ivry investigates the mysterious chemistry between the creators
of new work and the performers who bring it to life,
uncovering musical friendships that have proved frustrating
and volatile, yet often fruitful

À la française

par Robert Turnbull

The early years of the
21st century have seen
the steady rise of French
pianists and French
repertoire, finally
gaining international
recognition after
decades of neglect.
Robert Turnbull takes
stock of the shifting axis
of Europe’s finest
piano-playing talent
in favour of France

Personal touch

par Yacha Maclasha

It’s time to clear the air when it comes to Brahms’ solo
piano works, says Jonathan Plowright. For too long, the
composer has been subject to overindulgent
interpretations, without any regard for the subtle
textures and careful markings in his scores

The colour of genius

From epoch-making subtlety to the brink of excess, the music of
Olivier Messiaen creates and inhabits an expressive world all its
own. Jeremy Siepmann joins seven of the composer’s foremost
interpreters to explore his vast and extraordinary oeuvre

Performance anxiety

par Murray McLachlan

Murray McLachlan offers some hints for
overcoming the worst effects of nerves at
the keyboard

Playing with fire

par Bryce Morrison

Unpredictable and uncompromising,
Vladimir Horowitz’s performances
displayed a wild wizardry that propelled
his audiences beyond their comfort zone.
His fearless playing set the music world
ablaze, inspiring adoration and loathing
in equal measure. Bryce Morrison recalls a
series of encounters with an idiosyncratic
musical genius

Glory fays

par Stephen Wigler

The results from this year’s International Chopin Piano
Competition seemed clear cut, with the winners placed points
ahead of their rivals in the final reckoning. However, a closer
investigation of the jury’s marking gives a somewhat different twist
to the story. Stephen Wigler reports from Warsaw

The complete picture

Warren Mailley-Smith’s epic
undertaking to perform all the
solo piano music of Chopin is
gathering momentum. He
explains how he has prepared
for the mental, emotional and
physical demands of the
11-concert cycle at St John’s
Smith Square

Elmo Hope

par Graham Lock

A troubled life and premature
death meant that Elmo Hope
has been cast as a tragic figure,
clouding the contribution he
made to the development of jazz
in postwar America. Graham
Lock reaffirms Hope’s reputation
as a highly original blues
musician and one of the
architects of bebop piano

Music of my life

par Jeremy Nicholas

From childhood memories of Mozart to
the stirring strains of Bruckner, Freddy
Kempf’s musical recollections are closely
connected with the physical world
around him